Ray Pineault is President and General Manager of Mohegan Sun's Connecticut property and has been a part of the company since 2005. His career with the organization, however, began in 2001 when he was an attorney for the Tribe. From there, he was recruited to work for the casino, overseeing legal, HR and supply chain management. Since moving to the casino, he has progressively advanced to the role he is today as General Manager.
We spoke with Ray to learn more about his perspective on trends in the gaming industry, a typical day at Mohegan Sun and much more.
Describe your day in numbers.
It often seems like 8 hours of meeting during normal business hours. I come in early to spend 1-2 hours responding to emails and stay late to work and have uninterrupted time to spend on strategic planning. However, in between all of this I like to spend as much time as I can every day and week, spending time on the floor meeting and talking with team members.
What can you tell us about Mohegan Sun and what makes it unique?
What makes Mohegan Sun so special is without a doubt our team members and their continuous on-going focus on guest service. One of our four core values is blowing away the guest and from all of the surveys, reports and guest feedback we get, our team is knocking the cover off the ball every day in focusing on giving our guests that special and unique experience.
What is your favorite part of your job and why?
The number one favorite part of my job is the team members I have the honor and privilege of working with every day. I get to work with the smartest, hardest working and fun team anyone could be so blessed to work with.
What's in store for your property in the future?
We are going to continue to focus on making our guest service unique and special. We are also going to continue to add new attractions, amenities and services that provide our guests with a wonderful experience each and every time they visit.
What is your favorite piece of advice to give gaming industry professionals early in their career?
Build relationships. A resort operation such as Mohegan Sun has many facets, a multitude of departments and thousands of team members. Build strong relationships everywhere you can and you will at the same time be developing the trust of your team. A facility as diverse as ours is a team effort and it takes all of us working in the same direction in order to succeed.
What are the top three trends you see leading the transformation of the gaming industry?
There are actually four that are noteworthy and worth following:
- The legalization of sports wagering and how that proliferates, as well as how smaller operations get into the game when permitted legally.
- Millennials – is skilled based gaming the answer, or will there be a bigger emphasis on table games for this group, how do you attract this group and attain their loyalty, is it really a matter of time when they have more disposable income?
- Online Gaming – again another source of the mass proliferation of gaming and what impacts, positive or negative, will this have on bricks and mortar facilities?
- Esports - is this the next boom? Will it last? How do you monetize it?
What are your most memorable moments from a G2E show?
My most memorable moments at G2E never have anything to do with all the new slot or table products shown or any of the advancements and technology that are on display but are always with the partners, acquaintances, and colleagues I have the opportunity to catch up with and build relationships.
What do you think will be the biggest topics of discussion this year at G2E?
My guess would be all four things mentioned above will continue to be prominent discussions at this year's G2E.
What are you most looking forward to at G2E 2019?
Catching up with colleagues, acquaintances and partners. Working cooperatively with them for new ideas that enhance our property and build guest loyalty.
What type of products are you looking to source at G2E this year?
Unfortunately, I leave a lot of the product sourcing to our experienced team. However, I always walk the entire floor and look for innovative ways that new technology can enhance our guest experience.
